1996 RFL Division One

The 1996 Division One Championship season was the second tier of British rugby league during the 1996 season, and was also the first season of rugby league to be played in the summer.^[1] The competition featured all eleven teams from the 1995–96 Rugby Football League season.

RFL Division One
League	Rugby Football League Division One
Duration	20 Rounds
Teams	11
1996 Season
Divisional Premiership winners	Salford Reds
Champions	Salford Reds
Tom Bergin Trophy	Cliff Eccles
← 1995-96 1997 →

Championship

The league was won by Salford Reds for a second successive season, winning promotion to the Super League. The club also won the Divisional Premiership final against Keighley Cougars, with Cliff Eccles winning the Tom Bergin Trophy.

Rochdale Hornets and Batley Bulldogs were both relegated to Division Two.

League table

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	Pts
1	Salford Reds	20	18	0	2	733	298	36
2	Keighley Cougars	20	14	2	4	558	333	30
3	Hull Sharks	20	14	0	6	565	392	28
4	Featherstone Rovers	20	12	2	6	557	371	26
5	Huddersfield	20	12	0	8	557	308	24
6	Wakefield Trinity	20	10	1	9	485	455	21
7	Widnes	20	9	1	10	413	447	19
8	Dewsbury	20	6	1	13	264	618	13
9	Whitehaven	20	5	1	14	328	546	11
10	Rochdale Hornets	20	2	2	16	348	602	6
11	Batley	20	2	2	16	230	668	6

Champions

Relegated

Premiership

Main article: 1996 Rugby League Divisional Premiership

8 September 1996

Salford Reds	19 – 6	Keighley Cougars
Try: Naylor, Blakeley Goal: Blakeley (3) Drop goal: Blakeley		Try: Cantillon Goal: Irving

Old Trafford, Manchester Referee: Stuart Cummings Player of the Match: Cliff Eccles

Statistics

The following are the top points scorers in Division One during the 1996 season. Statistics are for league matches only.^[2]

Most tries Player Team Tries Jason Critchley Keighley Cougars 21 Nathan McAvoy Salford Reds 16 Darren Rogers Salford Reds 16 Brad Davis Wakefield Trinity 15 Dean Hanger Huddersfield Giants 15 Eddie Rombo Featherstone Rovers 15 Fata Sini Salford Reds 15 Andrew King Keighley Cougars 14 Martin Pearson Featherstone Rovers 14 Nick Pinkney Keighley Cougars 14 Tevita Vaikona Hull Sharks 14

Most goals Player Team Goals Steve Blakeley Salford Reds 84 Martin Pearson Featherstone Rovers 81 Mark Hewitt Hull Sharks 67 Brad Davis Wakefield Trinity 62 Christian Tyrer Widnes 54 Keith Dixon Keighley Cougars 46 Barry Eaton Dewsbury 42 Craig Booth Rochdale Hornets 26 Steve Booth Huddersfield Giants 26 Greg Austin Huddersfield Giants 25

Most points

Player	Team	Tries	Goals	DGs	Points
Martin Pearson	Featherstone Rovers	14	81	1	219
Steve Blakeley	Salford Reds	9	84	0	204
Brad Davis	Wakefield Trinity	15	62	3	187
Mark Hewitt	Hull Sharks	1	67	0	138
Christian Tyrer	Widnes	6	54	3	135
Keith Dixon	Keighley Cougars	5	46	0	112
Barry Eaton	Dewsbury	2	42	1	93
Greg Austin	Huddersfield Giants	10	25	0	90
Jason Critchley	Keighley Cougars	21	0	0	84
Fata Sini	Salford Reds	15	10	0	80

See also

• Super League war
• 1996 Challenge Cup